3.2 The CVA Olfactory Lexicon: CATA Categories & Flavor Wheel Links
Key Takeaways
The Descriptive Form's olfactory CATA list has nine top categories: Floral, Fruity, Sour/Fermented, Green/Vegetative, Other, Roasted, Nutty/Cocoa, Spice, and Sweet.
SCA-103 allows up to five selections in the fragrance-and-aroma list and up to five in the retronasal flavor-and-aftertaste list.
Under the June 2024 Version 2 form, Other contains Chemical, Musty/Earthy, and Woody, and Roasted contains Cereal, Burnt, and Tobacco.
A conspicuous blueberry note is recorded by checking Berry and Fruity and writing "blueberry" as a freely elicited descriptor.
Each CATA term also works as a flavor category; for example, Citrus Fruit covers lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit on the Flavor Wheel.
In the retired CQI exam, olfactory skill meant naming vials from the 36-aroma Le Nez du Café kit. In the current program, olfactory skill means describing coffee with the CVA olfactory lexicon printed on the Descriptive Form. The skill is less about memorizing 36 vials and more about sorting what you smell into a fixed set of categories quickly and consistently.
What SCA-103 calls the olfactory lexicon
SCA Standard 103 says the Descriptive Assessment includes "a number of descriptive terms for olfactory-driven flavors in coffee," collectively called the olfactory lexicon. Three ideas define it:
- Each term has sensory examples that help define it and improve communication between cupping professionals.
- Each term can act as a flavor category. "Citrus fruit" can be used on its own, but it also covers lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit on the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel.
- SCA-103 defines a flavor category as a group of descriptors sharing common characteristics. Each descriptor in the inner or middle circle of the Flavor Wheel represents a category covering descriptors in the outer circle.
The CATA boxes on the current form
The Descriptive Form (Version 2, June 2024) prints this olfactory list. The same list appears under fragrance and aroma (orthonasal) and in the left side of the flavor and aftertaste box (retronasal):
| Top category | Subcategory boxes | Typical coffee contexts |
|---|---|---|
| Floral | — | Washed Ethiopian and Gesha coffees; jasmine-like or tea-rose-like notes |
| Fruity | Berry, Dried Fruit, Citrus Fruit | Naturals (berry), sun-dried or very ripe lots (dried fruit), high-grown washed lots (citrus) |
| Sour/Fermented | Sour, Fermented | Sour aromatics, winey or boozy ferment notes |
| Green/Vegetative | — | Underdeveloped roasts, under-ripe cherries, peapod-like or herbal notes |
| Other | Chemical, Musty/Earthy, Woody | Contamination, storage, past-crop, or processing problems |
| Roasted | Cereal, Burnt, Tobacco | Roast development, from grain to ashy notes |
| Nutty/Cocoa | Nutty, Cocoa | Many Brazilian and Central American coffees |
| Spice | — | Clove-like, peppery, cinnamon-like notes |
| Sweet | Vanilla/Vanillin, Brown Sugar | Caramel-like, molasses-like, vanilla-like aromatics |
Earlier versions differed. The Version 1.1 form (September 2023) listed "Papery" instead of "Woody" under Other and "Spicy" instead of "Spice." It also had no Roasted subcategories and asked cuppers to classify acidity as "dry" or "sweet." If your practice sheets look different, check the version date in the footer.
Selection rules from SCA-103
- Fragrance and aroma box — one list covers both orthonasal sections. Select up to five descriptors that best represent the coffee.
- Flavor and aftertaste box — the retronasal list uses the same descriptors as fragrance and aroma, again up to five. A separate Main Tastes list on the right records up to two tastes that stand out: salty, sour, sweet, bitter, or umami.
- Mouthfeel box — a separate tactile list (Chapter 7), with up to two selections.
Selecting more is not better. Five boxes force you to rank what is most characteristic.
Freely elicited descriptors
SCA-103 tells you to write a descriptor in three situations:
- No CATA list exists — acidity and sweetness are described in words only.
- A precise note expands a box — for a conspicuous blueberry note, mark Berry (as well as Fruity) and write "blueberry."
- A clear note fits no category — the standard's example is a rare dried-tomato note, written as "dried tomato."
Olfactory sour and sweet
The words sour and sweet appear in two places. On the Main Tastes list they mean gustatory sensations detected on the tongue. In the olfactory list they mean aromatics associated with sourness or sweetness, such as a vinegar-like sour aroma or a brown-sugar-like sweet aroma. SCA-103 notes this explicitly so tasters do not confuse the two.
Where Le Nez du Café fits now
Le Nez du Café remains a popular training kit, and the WCR Sensory Lexicon even uses some of its essences as references. For example, it uses Le Nez du Café no. 3 "garden peas" for the Peapod aroma and no. 17 "apple" for Fruity. In the current exam, however, you are asked to place what you smell into a CVA category. Naming the exact vial is not what is tested. Use the kit, if you have it, as a source of examples for the categories.
A worked classification
A washed Kenyan coffee smells of blackcurrant, grapefruit peel, and brown sugar, with a faint tomato-leaf note. A reasonable record:
- Fragrance/aroma CATA: Fruity, Berry, Citrus Fruit, Sweet, Brown Sugar (five selections).
- Freely elicited: "blackcurrant," "grapefruit," "tomato leaf" (the last fits no box well).
- Flavor/aftertaste CATA: chosen the same way from what you perceive retronasally, which may differ from the dry and wet aroma.
The CATA boxes give comparable data across cuppers, while the written words keep the nuance.
Common recording mistakes
- Checking six or more boxes in one list. The limit is five, and extra checks blur the profile.
- Checking a subcategory without thinking about its parent. SCA-103's blueberry example marks Berry as well as Fruity, so record the family your note belongs to.
- Using olfactory Sour for a tongue sensation. Gustatory sourness belongs on the Main Tastes list or in the acidity description.
- Copying fragrance boxes into the flavor box. Retronasal flavor often differs from dry fragrance, so assess each list separately.
Under SCA-103, how many descriptors may a cupper select in the fragrance-and-aroma CATA list?
Up to two
Up to three
Up to five
As many as apply, with no limit
A cupper notices a conspicuous blueberry flavor. How does SCA-103 say it should be recorded on the Descriptive Form?
Write "blueberry" only, leaving the boxes blank
Check Sour/Fermented, because berries are acidic and acidity belongs in that category
Check Floral and write "blue fruit"
Check Berry and Fruity, and write "blueberry"
On the June 2024 Version 2 Descriptive Form, which subcategory appears under the Other category?
Woody
Papery
Tobacco
Vanilla/Vanillin
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.